Thanksgiving Travel Forecast

RICHMOND, Va (WTVR) – Expect a lot of extra traffic on the roadways as people travel for the Thanksgiving holiday. VDOT will suspend construction along major roadways. Commuters should be prepared this is only for temporary construction areas and not for permanent ones or areas that have long term construction projects underway.

If you are planning on traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday- here are some tips to get you \down the road:

Plan your route and an alternate. Even with GPS systems, it’s easy to get lost and confused if you’re driving in unfamiliar territory.

Gas up the car, check fluid levels, tire inflation and window cleaner reservoirs the day before you travel.

Get a good night’s sleep before you travel. If you’re feeling drowsy on a long haul, pull over and take a 20-minute nap.

Schedule regular stops every couple of hours. Get out of the car and stretch your legs for a few minutes before continuing.

Allow an extra hour or two of travel time to compensate for traffic and weather delays. Nobody will complain if you arrive early. They’ll probably just hand you a potato peeler and put you to work.

If you don’t have a DVD player in your car, rent one for the kids (with headphones, unless you want to hear the ABCD song played over and over and over.) Pack in snacks, too. Spoiled appetites are preferable to whiny, hungry children.

Don’t slack off on safety rules. Young kids need to be in properly installed car seats and everyone has to wear a seat belt.

Drive with your lights, even in daytime. It increases your visibility and in some states, like California, it’s the law during bad weather conditions.

If possible, plan your trip to leave on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and return on the Saturday or Monday after. You’ll miss the heavy traffic on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.